Big News for Football Fans: Lionel Messi to Visit India!
Thiruvananthapuram (The Uttam Hindu): Football fever is about to rise in India, a country crazy about cricket. The program of Argentina football team to play a friendly match in India under the captaincy of Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been finalised.
In November this year, Argentina, captained by Messi, will arrive in Kerala to play a friendly match. State Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman gave this information through his social media account. The Sports Minister said that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed through an official mail that the Argentine team will come to Kerala to play a friendly match. The news of Messi's visit to India has filled football lovers in India with enthusiasm and excitement. There is a great craze for the South American football team in Kerala. Messi and the Argentine football team are very popular here. Now this state is preparing for the moment, which many are calling the moment of 'dream come true'. After winning the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Argentine football had given special thanks to the football fans of Kerala in a social media post.
The Kerala Football Association (KFA), in collaboration with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), is working on the final preparations including the selection of the venue. The match is likely to take place at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. This upcoming match will be part of Argentina's preparation schedule ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, is expected to captain the team, although the team list will be formally confirmed closer to the match date. The state government is also expected to extend full cooperation to ensure smooth security, crowd management and hospitality arrangements.
Tourism officials believe that Lionel Messi's arrival will boost Kerala's international image and attract fans and tourists from across the country and the world. The Kerala government had specially invited the Argentina team for the friendly match.